Magnetoresistance of Ni₅₀Mn₃₇(Sn_1-XIn_x)₁₃ Alloys

Magnetic properties, electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance of the Ni50Mn37(Sn1 xInx)13 (x=0.2, 0.5) Heusler alloys were studied in magnetic fields up to 360 kOe in the temperature range 4-400 K. It was found that the alloys exhibit a martensite phase transformation at a critical temperature TM240 K for x=0.2 and TM350 K for x=0.5. The TM temperature is lower than the Curie temperature of the austenite phase TCA in the alloy with x=0.2 and is higher than TCA in the alloy with x=0.5. The spontaneous martensite transformation in both alloys is accompanied by a large change (~48%) of the electrical resistivity. A large negative magnetoresistance (~45%) is observed for the alloy with x=0.2 upon the field-induced martensite transformation. The analysis of the obtained results allows us to conclude that the large magnetoresistance in the alloys is mainly due to the changes in the crystal structure and only slightly depends on the changes in the magnetic ordering.

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